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since his Mate’s Mark had awakened, he hadn’t been attracted to any female he’d encountered. And now, because of this beauty in front of him, he couldn’t shut off his body. It was warm and ready for her. He sensed her arousal, too, but fear tainted the heady scent.
    He wanted to ask her so many things. Instead, he walked beside her, trying not to stare. But she wore his jacket so well, and the leather pants hugged her ass perfectly…
    His body perked to life, and he shoved his hand in his pocket to cover that obvious fact.
    “Can I have another bar?”
    He dug through the bag and handed her the last of three bars. It must have been days since she’d eaten. What could have brought her to the point of homelessness and starvation?
    “You’re at a hotel?” She glanced at him.
    “Passing through town.”
    “And helping homeless chicks?”
    He laughed. “Kind of fell into that one.”
    “I’m not going to…um…well, don’t expect—”
    “Don’t worry, Yvonne. I’m not a psycho who’s going to try to jump your bones.” He nudged her shoulder. All the tension he’d been feeling about his situation eased away. He’d even cracked a smile, and it wasn’t one to lure anyone in or dazzle someone into a trance. It was just a plain, relaxed smile.
    Finding his Mate didn’t seem important at the moment, but taking care of Yvonne sure did. Such a tough woman, obviously powerful to have dusted that human as she had, but she seemed vulnerable, too.
    Broken.
    He pointed to his right. “Room 115.”
    Hugging the jacket closer to her, she slowed. Indecision flitted across her face, but he couldn’t blame her. She must really be in need to accept help from a stranger, or maybe she, too, felt the connection he did.
    Not possible. No connection. He stepped in front of her and opened the door, then eased aside to let her pass.
    “You go first.”
    Keeping her in the edge of his vision, he made his way in and flipped on the lights. “It’s not much, but it’s warm, and the beds are pretty soft.”
    She looked around the small room as she slowly made her way in. “Nice.”
    “Two beds. Like I said.” He set the bag of food on the tiny fridge that sat atop the TV stand. “Feel free to clean up if you want. I’ll just put the food away.”
    She didn’t move.
    He reached into the bag and grabbed the bathroom supplies he’d snagged. “Here. I got these just in case you might need them.” He held out his hand. On it sat a travel toothbrush and toothpaste, a comb, and some floss. “There’s soap in there already, and you can use whatever else of mine you need.”
    Her green eyes went wide.
    “It’s okay.” He extended his offering further.
    “Why…?”
    He was asking himself the same question, but so far he hadn’t answered himself, so he said, “I haven’t quite figured that out yet, but I just know I’m supposed to take care of you.”
    …
    Sizzling water slid down her body, taking the stink of two days with it as jets massaged her neck free of the knotted muscles. The park bench wasn’t even in the same stratosphere as comfortable, and coupled with the cold nights, more than her neck needed the massaging pulses.
    A modest hotel room, considering the wad of cash she’d seen in Justin’s wallet, yet it fit him. Rough with a touch of class. She’d almost melted into a puddle of goo when he’d handed her the bathroom supplies. But what crushed through her defenses was when he said he’d take care of her.
    His aura pulsed with the truth of that. He did want to take care of her. Should she tell him everything? He’d seen her dust that guy, but should she tell him about waking up on a bench and killing that nice man who’d helped her?
    No. She couldn’t tell him that, but maybe the other stuff about not knowing who she was. He might be able to help.
    She hopped out of the shower and dried off. Thankfully the jacket would cover the mark since she didn’t have any makeup. Already tempted beyond